axfordBlog

old friends...

2005-08-22T09:47:00.000+01:00

Had a fun day yesterday... we cleared almost all the the tools from the lounge... scraped, scrubbed and mopped the floor (where the sofa is due to sit) and unwrapped the sofa/pooltable!! A momentous occasion... and we followed it up with a nice film yesterday evening (with a jerry rigged tv/dvd player).

The other good thing to happen yesterday was I happended across an old friends website (steelskies) by a rather circuitous route... found a link to an app he's written on a forum of the centerstageproject and sent him an email to catch up. This makes more sense when you know I lost all his contact details over a year ago while changing computers/phones and couldn't remember his website address.

iTunes announcer

2005-08-15T22:44:00.000+01:00

Been working on a little app for iTunes that uses the Microsoft Text-to-speech engine to announce the song title and artist when the currently playing track changes. This came about as we have lots of songs on the server that we don't forget the names of and it gets tiring always having to check the screen to see what's playing.

The app currently runs as a little toolbar and allows you to select either the SAPI version 4 or 5 interface, and also select which voice to use if using the version 5 interface. At the moment I've installed some additional free voices, but they only work through the version 4 interface. I've been reviewing some other voice engines that plugin to the SAPI framework, but they require money.... and I'm not that bothered to pay for them.

When it's a little more polished, I'll post the executable and source code...

2005-08-04T20:36:00.000+01:00

Chimney breast patched with undercoat plaster
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2005-08-04T18:31:00.000+01:00

This is a mockup of what we want to do with the master bedroom - we created this a fair while ago, but we're getting close to starting work upstairs and I figured it was worth posting it. Note, the bench over the bed with the TV on is intended to be mounted on runners and be able to slide backwards and forwards. That way, the screen can be connected to a computer (hidden away) and be used close up for web browsing, etc. and slid back for TV.
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New reviews blog

2005-08-04T12:46:00.000+01:00

I've just created a new blog focused on reviews of stuff we own.... you can find it here or click on the link under Other Axford Sites

AxfordDIY

2005-08-02T08:39:00.000+01:00

To seperate the detailed building work from the personal stuff, I've created a new blog called AxfordDIY where i'll be posting learnings/tutorials related to the renovation of our house.

2005-08-01T22:06:00.000+01:00

the beginnings of the fireplace - two carefully positioned marble (ahem...aircrete) blocks :)
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2005-07-31T22:31:00.000+01:00

todo - one chimney and assorted materials for the fire surround (note the outline where the 32" LCD TV is destined to live)
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2005-07-31T22:30:00.000+01:00

plastered wall ajoining dining room....and more lighting box
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2005-07-31T22:29:00.001+01:00

lighting box.... with holes for lights
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2005-07-31T22:29:00.000+01:00

more lighting box, under the stairs and the wall ajoining the kitchen - all plastered :)
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2005-07-31T22:28:00.000+01:00

lighting box freshly plastered
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NASA - Eerie Sounds of Saturn's Radio Emissions

2005-07-26T17:36:00.000+01:00

NASA - Eerie Sounds of Saturn's Radio Emissions

MetaEfficient: Product Reviews

2005-07-22T08:20:00.000+01:00

MetaEfficient: Product Reviews - ecological and recycled stuff

PIE natural furnishings

2005-07-22T08:18:00.000+01:00

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Awesome furniture...

Software Engineering Proverbs

2005-07-10T13:20:00.000+01:00

Software Engineering Proverbs: "A leader is best when people barely know that he exists.
Less good when they obey and acclaim him.
Worse when they fear and despise him.
Fail to honor people, and they fail to honor you.
But of a good leader, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
they will say, 'We did this ourselves.'

-- Lao-Tzu"

Crazy stuff from the bible

2005-07-10T13:17:00.000+01:00

Crazy stuff from the bible

For anyone who wants to test the merit of the Bible - read this
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TAXI FAQs: Songwriting

2005-07-10T13:12:00.000+01:00

TAXI FAQs: Songwriting

Great site I found on sing-writing, lots of interesting articles
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Snowflake and Snow Crystal Photos

2005-07-10T13:11:00.000+01:00

Snowflake and Snow Crystal Photos

Check this out - I'm amazed at the level of detail and regularity...
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stumble and blogThis

2005-07-10T13:08:00.001+01:00

the Stumble toolbar is the most brilliant timewaster and general tit-bit finder i've ever seen - it is simply superb! and now I've added the BlogThis extension to Firefox, it should make posting interesting little sites far more likely :)
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An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It

2005-07-10T13:08:00.000+01:00

An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It

Couldn't agree more (except with the closeness to family/friends bit)
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2005-06-28T22:49:00.000+01:00

an iguana.... I might do a sketch of this some day....

2005-06-28T22:41:00.000+01:00

and really mundane - some built-in shelves inside the built-in dining room furniture.... check out the hoover shelf :)

2005-06-28T22:40:00.000+01:00

oooh - new speakers (B&W LM1's to be precise)

2005-06-28T22:39:00.000+01:00

start of my first stone carving... and it's not going to be a bust :)

2005-06-28T22:37:00.000+01:00

a stunning example of a Britsh beach hut form Mersea Island south beach

2005-06-28T22:35:00.000+01:00

On the way to Mersea Island, we stopped in at Colchester Zoo...

more piccies from toast new zealand

2005-06-28T22:29:00.000+01:00

Check out the link... http://axford.f2s.com/images/toast%20new%20zealand/

2005-06-28T22:09:00.001+01:00

Amy has too much hair (and this is Nicky, Paul from works fiance's sister)

2005-06-28T22:09:00.000+01:00

The toilet queue at Toast New Zealand - it got worse later :(

2005-06-28T22:08:00.000+01:00

Our day out at the Toast New Zealand festival in Clapham Common... we had to bludgen people to claim some grass as our own

2005-06-08T21:00:00.000+01:00

one of our pictures from Thassos that i'm hoping to turn into a sketch.... one day

2005-06-08T20:57:00.000+01:00

another shot of the lounge, showing off the lighting. You can also see the new sofa, still in its wrapping...

2005-06-08T20:56:00.000+01:00

a look at the current state of the lounge - 3/4 plastered and the lighting rigged up to test it. We've also laid in the speaker cables for the surround-sound since this pics were taken.

2005-06-08T20:40:00.000+01:00

well, whaddya know, Picassa + Hello + Blogger is sweet.... as you can see from the piccies below, it's been no problem to quickly post a house renovation update! Nice

looks like this will become a regular tool in keeping the wide world advised of our progress, but also a nice record of what we've been up to

2005-06-08T20:39:00.000+01:00

mmmm.... fans.... actually really expensive super-quiet Zalman brushless fans. Oh, and our shiny new receiver

2005-06-08T20:38:00.000+01:00

wiring inside the amplifier cupboard. Shows the cable management, surge protected power strip, temperate sensor and fan speed controllers, wireless router/usb print server and other bits....

2005-06-08T20:37:00.000+01:00

MDF to bulk out the stringer for the stairs and fix the mess left by the old newel post - finished with a nice bit of planing/sanding. Still needs some wood filler to fill some gaps, but nearly there...

2005-06-08T20:35:00.000+01:00

temperature sensor and fan speed controls for the amplifier cupboard. Later this cupboard will also house the server/media computer and xbox :)

2005-06-08T20:34:00.001+01:00

speakers are finally connected to the cables we laid in the walls before Christmas

2005-06-08T20:34:00.000+01:00

music from the laptop into the fan cooled amplifier cupboard - now fitted with shiny MDF doors

first post

2005-06-08T20:25:00.000+01:00

welcome... figured this would be an easy way to keep family and friends in touch with developments in our lives - especially work on the house. Hoping to use Picassa to publish piccies to this blog as an easy way of showing people what's going on....

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